The identity of a former AFL player's son accused of murdering Samantha Murphy has been revealed as the search continues for her body.
Five weeks since Murphy vanished after setting out from her Ballarat East home, police charged Patrick Orren Stephenson on Thursday with murdering the mother of three at Mt Clear.
The 22-year-old is the son of former Geelong Cats and Richmond Tigers player Orren Stephenson.
A temporary suppression order on the murder accused's identity was struck out at Ballarat Magistrates Court on Friday after media outlets argued against it.
Stephenson's family home is in Mt Clear while he lives in Scotsburn, about 16km from Ballarat.
A vigil will be held in Ballarat on Friday evening near Samantha Murphy's home. Source: AAP
At Stephenson's brief court appearance on Thursday, his lawyer argued releasing his name could prejudice his right to a fair trial and said his client has had poor mental health since he was arrested.
He was not required to enter a plea to the murder charge on Thursday, and is due to face a committal mention on 8 August.
Detectives from the missing persons squad arrested Stephenson, who is not linked to the Murphy family, at his home about 6am on Wednesday before later charging him with murder.
"We are alleging a deliberate attack that has caused the death of Samantha," police commissioner Shane Patton told reporters on Thursday.
Investigations continue
Police and specialist detectives are continuing a desperate search for the body of Murphy, who was last seen on 4 February.
"Investigations will continue at a very heavy pace," Patton said.
"Doing everything we can to locate Samantha's body for the family is absolutely vital."
Michael Murphy, Samantha's husband, on Thursday. Source: AAP / James Ross
Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said news of the arrest was devastating but brought the community some closure.
"What we heard yesterday is the confirmation that Samantha will never come home to her family," he told ABC News on Friday morning.
"They will never have a beautiful mother, a beautiful wife to be with them."
He urged the public to let the investigation run its course and avoid speculating.
On Thursday, Murphy's husband Michael expressed his relief from the arrest, describing the past few weeks as "s---house" while telling of how the community had rallied around his family.
Anyone with information, including CCTV or dashcam footage from the time Murphy went missing, has been asked to come forward.
Weeks of extensive searching started around Ballarat after Murphy disappeared, with trained emergency services workers joined by hundreds of concerned locals.
They combed dense bush, private land and walking tracks.
Murphy's disappearance was out of character as she had been described as mentally and physically fit, and was training for an upcoming race by doing 15km runs.
A vigil will be held in Ballarat on Friday evening near Murphy's home.
